1. Strengthen hair and nails
There’s strong evidence to support a deficiency will cause hair loss. Similarly, the vitamin may also help thicken nail cuticles and prevents breakage. A number of hair care companies are now including biotin directly in their products.

2. Improve the health of your skin
A biotin deficiency can lead to a variety of skin problems including rashes, acne, psoriasis, dermatitis and overall itchiness. B vitamins play a key role in the function of the nervous system and do affect hormone function, which suggests why depleting biotin levels can in turn play a significant role in skin health. If skin isn’t nourished from the inside out, toxicities will form throughout the nervous system and manifest itself on the skin’s surface. This is one of the biggest signs that suggest a deficiency in biotin or vitamin B.

3. Supports your metabolism
Biotin plays a pivotal role in supporting metabolic function and works as a co-enzyme to help break down food, including carbohydrates, fats and protein. This reaction is further accelerated when biotin is paired with chromium picolinate. Your resting metabolic rate is elevated and food breaks down faster when consuming biotin, which is why there’s a link to biotin and accelerating weight loss. However, research is still preliminary and in no way does biotin act as a weight loss pill. It is still important to pair the supplement with a healthy diet and exercise regime to make sure you meet your slim-down goals. The good news: biotin is widely available and can be found in many foods such cooked eggs, egg yolks, soy, walnuts, whole grains, beans and legumes.

4. Lower cholesterol
Biotin has shown to play a role in lowering cholesterol in animal studies. Preliminary research has shown biotin can help reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, which when too high, can lead to heart disease and stroke.

5. Regulate blood sugar
Pairing biotin with chromium has been show to lower glucose levels. A study conducted at the Alpha Therapy Center in Corpus Christi, Texas found that, “a chromium picolinate/biotin combination…can improve glycaemic control in overweight to obese individuals with type 2 diabetes; especially those patients with poor glycaemic control on oral therapy.” A 2005 study found that, “Biotin deficiency has been linked to impaired glucose tolerance and decreased utilization of glucose.”